The Scars Within
by Inksaber
Summary: Ahsoka's experiences on Wasskah have changed her. Anakin is surprised to find out how much. A one-shot.


**Just a little something I came up with this morning. Ahsoka seems to have changed a lot from the end of Season 3 to the beginning of Season 4 and I wanted to explain why.**

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><p>Anakin was worried about his Padawan.<p>

That wasn't uncommon, he had spent half the war worrying about her safety, but she was still recovering from her experience with the Trandoshans on Wasskah. Ahsoka had only returned the previous day, and he hadn't seen much of her since. She seemed reluctant to talk about her experience and based on what Anakin knew of Trandoshans, he didn't blame her.

However, she still seemed to be avoiding him. And he wanted to find out why.

Anakin entered his Padawan's quarters and did a double-take. Ahsoka was sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my Padawan?"

Ahsoka opened her eyes. "I thought you'd be glad I'm putting an effort into catching up on my studies."

Anakin shook his head. "Out with it. What's going on?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

Anakin grinned. "Good. I'd be worried if you weren't." Inwardly, he was frowning. There was a sadness in his Padawan's eyes that hadn't been there before. What had happened to her on Wasskah?

Ahsoka didn't even smile. "No offence Master, but could you go away? I'm kind of tired."

Now Anakin was really worried. Ahsoka was _never _tired. After a battle, she was still raring to go, pestering him about the number of droids he had destroyed in that particular fight.

Ahsoka reached up to gingerly touch her lekku, which he saw were bruised, and his concern shot up.

"What happened to you, Snips?"

Ahsoka sighed. "The Trandoshans threw me around quite a bit. It caused some damage to my head."

"Why didn't the healers inform me of this? I talked to them yesterday and they didn't mention this. Why didn't they put you in a healing trance?"

"I told them I wanted to tell you myself," Ahsoka admitted. "And I was going to, when I was a bit more... healed. I can't actually... hear you as well as I used to. It's supposed to be temporary. I wanted to practice the healing trance myself." She added in a low voice, "I should have learned it earlier. It would have been a useful skill on Wasskah."

Anakin exhaled. A head injury. There was no way a Padawan could heal that by herself. "What do you mean, 'temporary'?"

"I mean, it will go away eventually," Ahsoka said, standing up. "Worrying isn't going to help, neither will wishing the hunters could have died in the sarlacc, whatever that is."

"Stop reading my thoughts," Anakin said, irritated. That was what what he had been thinking. Death by the sarlacc pit was the most painful death he could have arranged for the Trandoshans, and it would have been no less then they deserved. _Pity they're dead already._

"I'm not going to let you blame yourself for this too!"

"I'm not blaming myself," Anakin said quickly, trying to stop an incoming argument. "I... just wish I could have been there to help you."

"Don't you get it?" Ahsoka looked exasperated. "You _did_ help me! I never would have survived if you hadn't taught me that hand-to-hand combat, or extreme stubbornness." Anakin glared at her. "Hey, it's true," she protested. "I fought the Trandoshan leader in hand-to-hand combat and won. Two years ago, I would have died on my first day there."

Anakin had to admit that she had a point. But before he could open his mouth to argue that she had required the help of two bounty hunters and several full-grown Wookiees to escape, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Ahsoka said, her voice taking on a suddenly cheerful tone. The door slid open and Anakin recognized O-Mer and Jinx, the Younglings that had been stranded on Wasskah with Ahsoka.

"Hello, Master Skywalker... are we interrupting something?" O-Mer asked, looking from Anakin to Ahsoka uncomfortably.

"No," Ahsoka answered. "You two are looking much better," she added.

"It's amazing what some bacta can do for you, right, Snips?" Anakin looked at her pointedly, but she just shrugged.

"We're going to be made Padawans," Jinx said to Ahsoka. "We may not get to see you for a while, so we wanted to say goodbye."

Ahsoka smiled. "That's great! I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that they'll allow you to advance to Padawan so soon, though."

Anakin watched the exchange with shock. His Padawan had never had many friends; she had lost contact with most of the other Younglings after she became a Padawan. It surprised him to see Ahsoka acting so... causal toward her fellow Padawans. Yes, Wasskah had changed her. Somewhat for worse, but perhaps good had come out of the experience after all.

He started for the door. "I'll be back in a while. And Ahsoka, you will go the the healers again when I get back."

Anakin could hear his Padawan's groan even through the closed door and smiled. She would be fine.

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><p><strong>Yeah, it's short, but I was bored and I didn't feel like writing Web of Lies. <strong>

**Please reveiw!**


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